Veteran, rookie are tops in Sonics win

Starters?

In Wally Szczerbiak's world, they're just the opening act to his headlining role. The Sonics veteran popped off the bench again to play a pivotal role in another Sonics comeback, this time scoring 18 points and helping Seattle beat Minnesota 109-90 Saturday night at KeyArena.

Jeff Green also scored 18, as the Sonics won despite injuries to star rookie Kevin Durant and forward Chris Wilcox.

Durant left the game in the first quarter because of a sprained left index finger and didn't return, though X-rays showed no serious injury. Wilcox left in the third quarter with a sprained left knee after 14 points and 11 rebounds.

With two key players gone, the Sonics bench keyed the victory, though Szczerbiak doesn't call himself a reserve.

"I don't consider myself a bench player. Luke [Ridnour] and I always say that," said Szczerbiak, who opened the second half. "We've been starters in this league our whole career. When we get in there, we just do what we do.

"It's nice to be playing well and getting my career back on track. But it's all thanks to my teammates. They are finding me open shots. And the coaching staff, we're starting to get on the same page. That's the key to success. Hopefully we can build on it."

Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo changed his lineup, removing mainstay Damien Wilkins at small forward for Green. Carlesimo said the change was made because he wants to evaluate Green as a starter with Durant long-term.

Green looked like he could be yanked early as he missed a few easy buckets and the Sonics' defense overall was lackluster in allowing Minnesota to jump out to a 31-20 first-quarter lead.

Then Carlesimo made his usual call to the bench.

Trailing 34-28 with less than eight minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Sonics reserves went to work. Szczerbiak and Wilkins made a three-pointers, and Delonte West had a thunderous dunk. West then drove baseline to dish a pass to Wilcox for another crowd-rousing dunk with 4:46 left in the quarter, and the Sonics were ahead 42-40.

The Sonics outscored Minnesota 36-16 in the quarter. A West 20-footer with 4.3 seconds left before halftime made the Sonics' lead 57-46.

Szczerbiak, who was a starter in Boston before an ankle injury, finished the quarter with 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field.

"He [Szczerbiak] played well in the third, too," Carlesimo said. "He did some things that you don't see in the stat sheet.

"Wally Szczerbiak is a very good player and has been for a long time in this league. More so than most of our guys, with Kurt Thomas and Wally, we know what we're getting."

Yet, even in winning, the Sonics (9-21) lost.

Durant left the game after playing 11 minutes in the opening quarter because of a sprained left index finger that he said he suffered in the win against Atlanta on Nov. 16. He said he hit a defender's hip on Saturday, causing the injury to swell. No timetable was given for how long Durant could be out.

Wilcox suffered a sprained left knee after colliding with teammate Nick Collison after the latter tried to take a charge against Antoine Walker in the third quarter. Wilcox's injury appeared more serious than Durant's, with an MRI scheduled today.

"I felt like I could play, but the game was kind of out of hand, so it was cool for me to sit down," said Wilcox. "It's a little sore, but I think I'll be all right."

Minnesota (4-25) only scored 44 points in second half while the Sonics shot 56.4 percent in a highlight show for the 14,038 in attendance. Durant was the biggest cheerleader, shouting for his teammates after every flashy dunk and defensive stop.

"Coach told me to calm down a little bit. I was a little too hyped," Durant said. "But that's what we need. I was encouraging my teammates, and you can't do too much of that."

Seattle ends its homestand against Philadelphia on Monday. Then, the team departs for a four-game road trip beginning in Phoenix on Thursday.

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com